1. Field of the Invention
This patent relates to a lawn and gardening tool. More specifically, this patent relates to a cutting and mulching blade that attaches to the end of an edging machine for cutting a fresh edge in the turf surrounding a landscaped area and mulching the freshly cut portion of the turf.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lawn edging machines are used to cut a trench between a lawn and a sidewalk or around the periphery of a landscaped area. When used to cut a trench around a landscaped area, conventional edging machines simply cut a groove in the turf about a half-inch away from the periphery of the area. It is then necessary to remove the narrow slice of turf with a spade to form a new edge. The landscaped area can then be mulched, if desired.
There is a need for an edger that can both cut a groove around a landscaped area and remove the narrow slice of turf defined by the new edge at the same time. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a cutting blade attachable to a lawn edger that can perform these two functions.
The present invention is a cutting and mulching attachment for a lawn edger that creates a clean edge to a landscaped area. The attachment can be used with high speed edging machines or any suitable edging machine and can be manufactured to attach to either side of the machine. The attachment comprises a flat, circular cutting blade and two or more flat mulching blades extending laterally from the cutting blade. The cutting blade has a centrally disposed hole for accommodating a shaft, and teeth extending from the periphery of the cutting blade.
Each mulching blade has a toothed edge that faces in the direction of the cutting blade rotation. The plane of each mulching blade defines an acute angle with respect to the plane of the cutting blade, optimally 68 degrees. The plane of each mulching blade is radially aligned with the centrally disposed hole of the cutting blade.
Significantly, the teeth of one mulching blade are offset from the teeth of the other mulching blade so that, as each mulching blade sweeps through the turf, its teeth remove any ridges of turf left behind by the teeth of the other blade. In the preferred embodiment, the mulching blades are punched out of the cutting blade such that the cutting blade and mulching blades are of constructed of the same piece of material.